Roberta METSOLA, EP President, delivers a statement about the European Parliament’s December 2023 Eurobarometer.

Brussels

statement

METSOLA, Roberta (EPP, MT, EP President)

Eurobarometer (T)

president's agenda

European Parliament Eurobarometer - Autumn 2023: statement by Roberta METSOLA, EP President

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/73585321/1701180024749_I249777Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

In six months&rsquo; time, between the 6th and 9th of June 2024, European citizens will be called upon to vote in the European elections in order to elect their representatives in the European Parliament. It will be the moment where they decide in which direction the European Union will be heading in the years to come.

That also means that there is less than six months left for the current European Parliament to deliver on some important legislation relating to our economy, migration, the Green Deal, health and the defence of democracy... just to name a few.

Throughout these past 5 years of legislature, we have been listening to our citizens. As confirmed by the Parlemeter published today, Europeans have been asking the European Parliament to prioritise the fight against poverty and social exclusion, public health, action against climate change, to support the economy and the creation of new jobs. European citizens have also been asking us to defend EU values, such as democracy, the protection of human rights and the freedom of speech and thought.

And the European Parliament has delivered. We are leading globally with the new Digital Services and Markets Acts and we have adopted our position on the world&rsquo;s first comprehensive, pro-innovation Artificial Intelligence Act. We strengthened Europe&rsquo;s autonomy with the Chips Act. We ensured vaccines for all during the pandemic. We disentangled ourselves from Russian energy. And after years of deadlock we managed to adopt the Women on Boards Directive, a Directive on minimum wages and legislation for equal pay for equal work. When we were called upon to support Ukraine, we did: with financial, political, humanitarian and military support. And we were the first institution to call for Ukraine to receive EU candidate status. In the next months, the European Parliament will continue to work hard to conclude its legislative files and to further deliver on all of these issues.

This Eurobarometer also shows that Europeans value EU membership, especially in this difficult geopolitical and socio-economic context. Six in ten citizens say that EU membership is a good thing and over seven in ten believe their country has benefitted from being a member of the EU. The main reasons cited by this survey&rsquo;s respondents are the EU&rsquo;s contribution to maintaining peace and strengthening security and the improved co-operation between countries of the Union.

Six months ahead of the election, it is important to note that 70% of Europeans say that EU actions have an impact on their daily lives. The results of this Parlemeter show that both interest in the European elections and the likelihood of voting have measurably increased, specifically when compared to five years ago. Results that are very encouraging and support us in our efforts to increase voter-turnout - which is important. Because democracy can never be taken for granted.

In June 2024, let us protect and preserve it by casting our vote.